Page 21 of Wicked Games
Ryder’s brow furrowed. “Neither museum claimed to own the painting or the statue yourecovered.” I was pleased he at least believed I wasn’t responsible for the missing fanyi vessel. “They were on…” His words trailed off.
“Loan from private collectors,” I supplied.
“You’re saying the private collectors didn’t own the items they loaned to the museums, and someone hired you to take them back and return them to their rightful owners?” His words rose in pitch as he neared the end of his question. “You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth, Ry.”
“Don’t! I’m not your Ry, and I’m not your love.” He was both those things, but it was an argument best saved for another day. “You’re telling me the Cincinnati Art Museum obtained the fanyi through illegal channels?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying, or at least I have no evidence of it yet. The illegal activity goes back to the owners, either past or present. Sometimes the current owners aren’t aware the provenance documents they received with their purchase were falsified.”
“How do they get it past their insurers?” Ryder asked.
“Listen, we need to get out there before your mother comes looking for us. I gave you the Cliff Notes answer to your question. Can we finish the discussion later?”
“In your hotel room?” Ryder asked suspiciously.
“Anywhere you choose.”
“We could go to my place,” Ryder said. “My sister moved in with me a few weeks ago, but she’s in Colorado with friends for the holiday.” I thought it was odd his sister chose to spend it away from her family, but I knew nothing about their family dynamics. I’d seen with my own eyes at the gala how rebellious she could be when it suited her.
“We’ll decide after dinner. You owe me a conversation about Dante,” I reminded him. I placed my hand on the doorknob behind me but didn’t turn it. “Your expression said you were trying to decide which circle of hell would be my future home.”
“Maybe,” Ryder said, looking at me suspiciously. “You’re already familiar withTheDivine Comedy, aren’t you? And you let me blather on about it.”
“You know how I adore the inner geek hidden by your outer Adonis.”
“If we’re going to do this, we both need to agree to keep this a professional relationship,” Ryder said.
I laughed even though I knew it would only make him angrier. Who did he think he was trying to fool? We couldn’t keep our hands off each other for five minutes, let alone for the duration of an investigation. “We can try.”
“We will succeed,” he said resolutely. I saluted Ryder with two fingers, and he shoved me out of the way to open the door. “You stay here for a minute. Pull yourself together and make sure your wig and mustache are glued on properly. I need to take my mother off to the side and request she doesn’t introduce you as an inspector from Interpol. The last thing we need is for someone to point out they do not exist in the way you’re implying they do.”
“What will you ask her to say?” I asked.
“We can tell our guests that you and I were acquaintances from when I worked in Paris.” His words conjured so many images in my mind, each of them stealing my breath away. I could tell he was reliving them too due to the sad expression on his handsome face.
“That will work. I’ll give you a head start.”
“See you out there, Inspector Gadget.”
Betty’s tribute to a proper English dinner was delicious, and the only bright spot of the evening once Ryder and I left the privacy of the bathroom. Celeste and Simone spent most of the dinner laughing and reliving old times, while Paul and Edmond Jameson talked about investments, politics, and the state of the world, leaving Ezra, Ryder, and me to fend for ourselves. Of course, Celeste took Ryder seriously when he implied he and Ezra were more than friends and sat them beside each other across from me. Ezra Meyer was smart, funny, and a sexy silver fox with dark eyes. He couldn’t have been much older than Ryder, so he was one of the guys who went gray early or purposely dyed his hair. Either way, it looked really good on him. I hated him on sight until I realized nothing was sparking between him and Ryder.
It didn’t prevent Ryder from trying to provoke my possessiveness. Every time he caught me watching them, Ryder put his arm on the back of Ezra’s chair and whispered something in the silver fox’s ear to make him laugh. The little minx thought he could make me jealous with his offhanded comment in the library, but it backfired because his mother would push the match until Ryder came clean or I swept him away to distant shores.
“There’s a thought,” I said under my breath then forked the last bite of my banoffee pie into my mouth. Ryder was annoying the fuck out of me, but nothing kept me from eating my favorite dessert.
“Pardon me?” Ryder asked from across the table. I couldn’t wait to wipe the smug grin off his face. Did he think to play such wicked games with me?
“I remarked on the time,” I lied. “I need to report into the office with an update.”
“You can use the library, dear,” Celeste offered. I wasn’t aware she was paying attention to our end of the table, but I should’ve known better.
“That’s very gracious of you, but it goes against protocol.”
“Protocol?” Edmond Jameson asked, quirking a dark brow. “That sounds serious.”
“I didn’t mean to imply my work was exotic and exciting. We’re just required to use secure phones when discussing our client’s private information. The British accent makes people think of James Bond,” I teased. “Thank you for a lovely dinner, Celeste.” I told everyone else at the table it was a pleasure to meet them and wished them a happy holiday.